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May 2013

Some of the loudest critics of Proposition 100, the voter-approved temporary one cent sales tax increase, were small business owners.
Lance Muzslay, co-owner of Sole Sports Running Zone. (Photo by Mark Brodie - KJZZ)
They worried about, among other things, how the higher tax would affect their sales.

A random act
of kindness by a local cop has gone viral. The story of Natalie Simonick and
her good deed has been shared more than 19,000 times -- and "liked" more than 140,000 times -- on the Phoenix Police
Department’s Facebook page.

The Arizona Department of Economic Security is launching a pilot
program for 1000 people that sets up a one-stop shop for services to
ensure consumers get all of the benefits they are eligible for. It is the
first step in implementing a new vision in how the social safety net should work.

A new poll shows strong support among Latinos for sex education, including birth control. The poll, from Planned Parenthood and the Center for Latino Adolescent and Family Health, shows a majority of Latinos say preventing teen pregnancy is a major issue.

The Federal Aviation Administration is developing regulations to open the skies to drones by 2015.&nbsp; Agriculture is expected to be one of the largest potential markets for drones. Cronkite News reports companies like Yamaha have been selling unmanned aerial vehicles for years in Japan.

There is a dispute brewing over a lease agreement for a coal-fired power plant that provides electricity to millions of people in Arizona, California and Nevada. A co-owner of the plant is at odds with the Navajo tribe over water rights and other issues.

On a tour of Mexico aimed at speaking to non-Catholics, Vatican culture minister Cardinal Gianfranco
Ravasi denounced the folk saint Santa Muerte as
blasphemous. The remarks Wednesday are
not the first time she has been targeted.

Arizona landlords
may soon have to tell tenants when their property enters foreclosure. The state Senate gave approval Thursday to a bill requiring the notifications. The bill
amends the Arizona Residential Landlord and Tenant Act to mandate the owner provide
written notification to tenants within five business days of receiving a notice
of foreclosure.

Firefighters are battling a 40 acre wildfire at Rincon Canyon near Safford in southeast Arizona. The so-called Marijilda fire is about 70 percent contained. Coronado National Forest spokeswoman Heidi Schewel said 30 firefighters are working the blaze that has spread in oak trees and brush.

Arizona has been a national leader in the number of potentially impactful ballot propositions that voters have needed to approve or reject. The Morrison Institute for Public Policy at Arizona State University recently released a report that included possible changes to improve the ballot initiative process.

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